<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Our Past Demons by XFangHeartX</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662729">Our Past Demons</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/XFangHeartX/pseuds/XFangHeartX'>XFangHeartX</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Inuyasha: The Next Tomorrow [42]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst with a Happy Ending, Drama, F/M, Forgiveness, Gen, Past Violence, Regret</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 22:21:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,846</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27662729</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/XFangHeartX/pseuds/XFangHeartX</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When a fire devastates the wolf demon clan's home, Koga must swallow his pride and ask an unlikely ally to help him: Sesshomaru. In doing so, Koga is forced to confront his past sins when he meets Rin after many years since he killed her as he tries to convince her that he is not the same demon he was in his youth. Things take a turn for the worst when a ghost from Koga's past comes for revenge...and this not only affects Koga, but Rin, as well.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ayame/Kouga (InuYasha), Rin/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Inuyasha: The Next Tomorrow [42]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/370769</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Devastation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi</p><p>Story and OCs © Me</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  All around, there was nothing but angry flames, hungrily burning anything they touched. The trees and rocks were engulfed in mere seconds. Deer, boars, and small rodents fled the forest as fast as they could...and among them being wolves.</p><p>  "COME ON!!!" a voice shouted over the roar of the flames. "HURRY!! WHATEVER YOU CAN'T CARRY, LEAVE IT BEHIND!!! WE GOTTA GO!!!!"</p><p>  This call came from Koga, who watched as his clan members ran out of the den, trying to escape from the raging flames, gathering anything and anyone they could carry. Whatever they couldn't save had to be left behind. As they ran, Koga looked around to see if anyone else was missing. He could see Ginta and Hakkaku, escorting a few other clan members out of the flames, and he did see Ayame, as well as Hasu and Hoshi...but wait.</p><p>  Where was Tsukihime?</p><p>  "Where's Tsuki?!" Koga asked as he ran over to Ayame.</p><p>  "I think she's still back there!" Ayame answered as she pointed to the burning den. "I think she was helping one of the elders get out! She told me to take Hasu and Hoshi and go on without her!!"</p><p>  Koga's eyes widened before he quickly dashed to the den with a second thought, leaving a dust cloud as he ran. In no time at all, he reached the den, but flames were all around it and there seemed to be no way to get past them. What's worse...he could see his eldest daughter on the side...sobbing as she clung to the body of one of the wolf demon elders, who was lying on the cold stone floor, unmoving.</p><p>  "Poor old man..." Koga whispered, sadly. It was then that Tsukihime finally noticed her father and gasped as she waved to him.</p><p>  "Daddy!!" she cried. "Help!!"</p><p>  "Hang on, Tsuki!!" Koga shouted before he spun in place, creating a powerful whirlwind that ended up fanning the flames away...but only for a moment. Once he stopped, he ran over and grabbed his daughter, pulling her away from the dead corpse of the wolf demon, despite her desperately crying that they should at least save his body, but Koga hurried her out, saying that there was no time to save the elder. As they rushed out, the flame grew at least tenfold...engulfing the poor old demon as they hurried out.</p><p>  Koga panted as he and Tsukihime hurried to join the rest of their family with Ayame, Hoshi, and Hasu running to hug them both. That's when the entire clan- or what was left of it- turned to their burning den, watching the hungry flames engulf it. Some watched sorrowfully, such as Ayame, her children, Ginta, and Hakkaku, and others, such as Koga, just kept watching with stoic expressions...but they felt the sadness, all the same.</p><p>  "...Ginta, Hakkaku," Koga spoke, causing his two advisers to approach him. "Give it to me straight...how many did we lose?"</p><p>  "10 of us, Koga," said Hakkaku, grimly.</p><p>  "And some of us are injured with burns," Ginta added.</p><p>  "Dammit..." Koga cursed.</p><p>  "...How could this happen?" Ayame asked as she watched the home where she and her family had spent most of their lives living in. "I mean...the day started out just like it normally did, and then...!"</p><p>  Koga's eyes softened before he went over to his beloved mate and wrapped his arm around her, emitting a soft, comforting rumble as he nuzzled her. However, deep inside, he was just as upset and angry as Ayame, if not more. Some careless human must have left their campfire unattended and the wind must have blown some embers into the forest, kickstarting the inferno.</p><p>  First, Koga loses most of his clan back when he was younger...and now, he and his family had lost their home.</p><p>  "Dad?"</p><p>  Koga looked down at Hoshi and Hasu, both of them staring up at him with these sad, wet eyes.</p><p>  "Daddy...what's gonna happen to us?" asked Hasu with a sniffle.</p><p>  "Yeah, where are we gonna live, now?" asked Hoshi.</p><p>  Koga tightened his lips before he pulled his children into his arms, hugging them tightly.</p><p>  "We'll be okay...somehow," he whispered.</p><p>XXX</p><p>  "Ichi! Can you bring the laundry in for me, please?"</p><p>  "Yes, Mom!"</p><p>  Ichiro whistled a little tune to himself as he took the laundry off the clothesline and folded them up into the basket, which he picked up to carry into the house. However, as he turned to head back in, his ear twitched and his nose picked up a familiar scent: wolf hair and hydrangeas. As Ichiro turned around, he saw someone approach the yard from the shadows...and it was soon revealed to be Tsukihime as she stepped out in the light of the sun.</p><p>  "Tsuki?" Ichiro asked as he put the laundry down on the ground and ran over to his childhood best friend. He hadn't seen her in quite some time, so he had been admittedly quite worried for her. As Ichiro got closer, he noticed that Tsukihime's scent was tinged with this acrid saltiness...and he soon saw why: her cheeks were stained with tears and she had dark circles beneath her eyes.</p><p>  She had been crying.</p><p>  "Hi, Ichi..." Tsukihime muttered.</p><p>  "Tsuki, are you okay?" Ichiro asked as he put his hands on his shoulders. "What's wrong?"</p><p>  "...Our home burned down," Tsukihime replied with a sniffle, causing Ichiro to gasp.</p><p>  "Oh, no..." he whispered before he looked over his shoulder to the house, then back at the weeping wolf demon princess.</p><p>  The laundry could wait. His friend needed help.</p><p>  Soon, Ichiro brought Tsukihime inside where, after giving his parents a brief explanation, she was given a spot to sit at the hearth and a cup of tea.</p><p>  "The other night, I did see this big cloud of smoke in the air," Inuyasha said as he stood nearby while Yamako, Sanka, Izayoi, and Usagi peeked from the stairs, both of them looking at each other worriedly. "That explains it, then."</p><p>  "Did everybody make it out, okay?" asked Kagome as she handed Tsukihime a teacup.</p><p>  "Not everybody," Tsukihime replied. "I mean...my parents and my little brother and sister are fine, but...some of the clan members were injured...and as of this morning, we lost 12 members, one of them being a clan elder."</p><p>  "Tsuki, I'm sorry," Ichiro said as he put a hand on her shoulder. As if to agree with that sentiment, Mamoru mewled as she gently brushed her face against Tsukihime's ankle, causing the wolf demon to stroke her.</p><p>  "Thanks," Tsukihime whispered, "but now, my Dad's working on trying to find us a new home...but so far it's not working out." She looked down at the tea inside her cup. "He doesn't show it...but my Dad's actually really scared. He's scared about what might happen to the clan...to me, Mom, and brother and sister. The other day, I heard some of the clan members talking and saying that having my Dad as the chief isn't worth all this trouble."</p><p>  "I can understand that," said Kagome, sadly. "Koga did lose most of his clan back when we were fighting with Naraku."</p><p>  "...Dad?" Ichiro asked as he looked up at Inuyasha, who glanced back at him. "Do you think that-"</p><p>  "Nothin' doin', Ichi," Inuyasha interjected with a stern expression.</p><p>  "But...you didn't hear me out!" Ichiro argued.</p><p>  "I know exactly what you're about to say," Inuyasha countered. "You're gonna suggest that Koga and his clan live here in the village, right?"</p><p>  "Well...just for a little while," Ichiro said. "I mean, this way, Tsuki doesn't even have to travel very far to see me!"</p><p>  "Yeah! And I can see Hasu, every day!" Sanka added.</p><p>  "Not her brother, though," said Yamako. "He always gets on my nerves."</p><p>  "And besides," Ichiro began, "they can help protect the village, just like before!"</p><p>  "Ichi," Kagome began, "that is so sweet of you to want to have Tsukihime and her family live here...but...I think we need to be more realistic about this."</p><p>  "But...Tsukihime doesn't have anywhere to go," Ichiro said.</p><p>  "Ichiro, it's not that easy," Inuyasha said. "I mean, Tsukihime, I don't mean any disrespect, but...civilized life isn't something that the wolf demon clan can adapt to."</p><p>  "He's right, Ichiro," Tsukihime agreed. "We're wolves...we need the wild...the wide-open mountain ranges, the vast canyons...we need to be able to run freely."</p><p>  "...So...there's really nothing we can do to help?" asked Ichiro, sadly. "Nothing at all?"</p><p>  A pause...before Inuyasha sighed.</p><p>  "Well...there might be ONE way," he said.</p><p>  "Really?" Tsukihime asked.</p><p>  "Oh, Dad, I knew you had the answer!" Ichiro exclaimed.</p><p>  "Yeah...but there's just one problem," Inuyasha replied. "Koga might not like it...and for that matter, he sure as hell won't like it, either."</p><p>  "He?" Tsukihime repeated. "Who's he?"</p><p>  Kagome stared at her husband...before she and Ichiro both gasped in realization.</p><p>  "Oh, no..." Kagome whispered.</p><p>  "Oh, yes..." Inuyasha muttered.</p><p>  "Oh, crap," Ichiro cursed.</p><p>XXX</p><p>  "Lord Sesshomaru?"</p><p>  Sesshomaru, who was walking down one of the corridors of his grand castle in the western mountains, turned to see Jaken approach him, the toad demon kneeling before him.</p><p>  "Yes, Jaken?" asked Sesshomaru.</p><p>  "It appears we have a guest at the castle, milord," said Jaken.</p><p>  "A guest?" Sesshomaru asked. "Who would come all this way here?"</p><p>  "Well...err..." Jaken muttered. "You see, Lord Sesshomaru-"</p><p>  "What?" Sesshomaru asked with narrowing eyes. "Don't you know who it is?"</p><p>  "Well, it's-" Jaken started.</p><p>  "Hey! Do I have to let myself in or something?!"</p><p>  Sesshomaru looked up...and for a brief moment, his normally stoic, cold façade gave way to shock...because standing in front of him was none other than Koga.</p><p>  "...Umm...hey," the wolf demon greeted, although the way he was talking sounded like it was a bit forced. "I was told you could help me out?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Swallowing Pride</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>When Koga gets just a taste of Sesshomaru's rage, he realizes that in order to properly secure a new home for his clan, he must swallow his pride and ask Sesshomaru for his help. However, not everyone agrees with his plan.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Inuyasha © Rumiko Takahashi</p><p>Story and OCs © Me</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>  To say that things looked awkward now...would be a complete and total understatement. The proper words to describe a situation such as this would be... "disaster waiting to happen". One side stood Sesshomaru, his eyes taking that usual cool and calm glare...although, if one didn't know better, there was almost a bit of... annoyance to them. On the other side was Koga, who had his arms crossed as he glared at the great Lord of the West.</p><p>  "And just what, pray tell," Sesshomaru began, "is a wolf such as yourself doing in my domain?"</p><p>  "And you better have a good explanation for this!!" Jaken shouted. "How dare you enter Lord Sesshomaru's domicile without permission?!"</p><p>  "I'll do the talking here, Jaken," Sesshomaru interjected. "Now then, wolf...talk."</p><p>  "Uhh...well..." Koga muttered before he sighed. "Your brother sent me here."</p><p>  "...Inuyasha..." Sesshomaru groaned in disdain. He should've known his younger half-brother had something to do with this.</p><p>  "That detestable half-demon!!" yelled Jaken. "How dare he do something like this?! Why, I have a mind to-"</p><p>  "Silence," Sesshomaru interjected, once again, causing Jaken to clam up. "And just why would my brother send a wolf into my territory? Explain yourself."</p><p>  "Look, it's not like I want to be here, okay?" Koga asked, trying his damnedest not to lose his temper. "It's just... I don't really have a choice and you were my best option."</p><p>  "And why is that?" Sesshomaru asked, sounding even more skeptical by the minute.</p><p>  "Because," Koga began, "my clan is in need of a new home, and... you're the only one who can help us."</p><p>  "Hmph..." Sesshomaru scoffed. "I don't see how this is my problem." He then turned and walked out. "Now, please leave. I am very busy."</p><p>  "Now, hold on a second, you pompous mutt!" Koga shouted. "I-"</p><p>  "<em><strong>WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!!</strong></em>" Sesshomaru questioned as he immediately whirled around... revealing his blood-red eyes and a mouthful of sharp fangs, his hair rising and whipping around like a wild silver flame. Jaken gulped and hid behind a komainu statue, feeling his lord's powerful demonic aura spike. As for Koga, he swallowed thickly as he found himself staring not at the face of a man... but the huge aura in the shape of a vicious dog, glowering down at him.</p><p>  "...Uh..." Koga muttered. "N-nothing."</p><p>  "I thought so," Sesshomaru replied as he allowed his aura to shrink and his hair to fall, then he turned to walk away...but then...</p><p>  "Wait," Koga spoke, causing the great dog demon to stop in his tracks and glare back at him. "Look... I know I can be a bit brash at times, but I seriously need your help. Our home burned down in a fire... and right now, I'm desperate. We're not here to stay in your castle! Just in your territory for a while! We'll be completely outta your way!"</p><p>  Sesshomaru only glared at him, not seeming at all convinced. It was then that the wolf demon sighed before he dropped down to his hands and knees...and dipped his head so low that it practically touched the floor.</p><p>  "Please... Lord Sesshomaru," Koga whispered. "I'm not just asking as the chief of my clan... I'm asking as a father who's trying to raise his children."</p><p>  Jaken blinked at Koga in surprise before he looked up at Sesshomaru, who kept his cold, calm expression as he turned to face Koga, who kept his head low.</p><p>  "...Interesting," said Sesshomaru, prompting Koga to raise his head. "Normally, any demon who would be foolish enough to call me a 'pompous mutt' would have had their heads lopped off by now... and yet you prostrate yourself before me."</p><p>  "...So you'll help us?" Koga asked.</p><p>  "I did not say I would help you, yet," Sesshomaru corrected. "Whether or not I do is my choice... but if you wish, we can negotiate. Go back to your wolves and tell them that."</p><p>  "...Thank you," Koga whispered as he stood up and headed out of the compound. As he left, he heaved a quiet sigh of relief. Not once did the proud Koga ever have to ask for help from anyone, let alone a relative of Inuyasha, no less. However... he knew that his pride would only get him into more trouble. If he really wanted to secure a home for his clan and his family, he had no choice but to swallow his pride.</p><p>  Thus, Koga ran back to where his clan waited for him.</p><p>  Meanwhile, back in the castle, Sesshomaru sighed as he turned to return to his study... but as he did, he felt a hand reach out and grab his wrist, causing him to turn and see his beloved wife, Rin, who gave him this almost playful smile, which caused him to give her a small smile in return.</p><p>  "Taisetsu and Tomoe are napping," said Rin as she clung to his arm and nestled herself against his chest, causing him to gently wrap his arm around her shoulder and inhale her sweet scent of wildflowers, soil, and pure honey. "So who were you talking to, just now?"</p><p>  "Some wolf," Sesshomaru answered...and almost instantly, Rin stiffened and her eyes went wide.</p><p>  "A... a wolf?" she asked... as her mind momentarily flashed back to when she was a child, surrounded by vicious, snarling creatures with sharp fangs and glowing yellow eyes... and a tall figure, laughing menacingly as he watched her get slaughtered.</p><p>  "Rin?" Sesshomaru asked, causing Rin to snap out of her momentary trauma. "Are you all right?"</p><p>  "...I'm sorry," Rin replied. "It's just..."</p><p>  Sesshomaru's eyes softened. He should've known. After all, even after had so much time had passed, the trauma was still fresh in her mind: the day when Rin's village was slaughtered by the wolf demons... and how he found her lying in a pool of blood, bitten, clawed, and bruised.</p><p>  "Rin," Sesshomaru whispered, causing her to look up into his smoldering amber gaze. "I promise you... I will not let them hurt you."</p><p>  Rin smiled, her brown eyes softening.</p><p>  "My dearest..." she whispered, lovingly as she stood on the very tips of her toes... pressing her lips against those of her lord, causing him to lean into her, closing his eyes as he soaked in her love.</p><p>XXX</p><p>  "You what?!"</p><p>  Koga stood before his clan, all of them sitting around him, some of them giving surprised looks while others glared at him with disdain.</p><p>  "You mean you actually asked that dog we could stay here?!" asked one of the wolf demons; a tall and imposing figure, perhaps about as tall as Koga with short black hair and a scar going down his right eye. He was clad in black armor with a sword attached to his left hip and he wore the pelt of a brown wolf over his head and around his waist like a kilt. He also had a wolf tail, which bristled in anger as he glared at his chief.</p><p>  "I did," Koga replied, "and he said that we could talk about us establishing a territory here."</p><p>  "Koga...!" Ayame whispered, her eyes shimmering with hope.</p><p>  "So... you actually talked to Mr. Inuyasha's older brother?" asked Tsukihime.</p><p>  "...I didn't just talk to him," Koga replied. "I saw what kind of demon he really was." He then quietly clenched his fist and lowered his head. "I... I was way out of my league. That Sesshomaru's no joke."</p><p>  "Daddy?" Hasu asked.</p><p>  "You mean a stupid dog was stronger than you?" asked Hoshi. "I don't believe it!"</p><p>  "Sesshomaru is far too strong for someone like me," said Koga. "If I hadn't taken back that insult I made, he would've killed me on the spot."</p><p>  "Oh, man..." Hakkaku groaned. "He must be that powerful then."</p><p>  "It's a good thing you got away with your life, huh, Koga?" asked Ginta.</p><p>  "Hmph!" scoffed the wolf demon wearing the wolf hood on his head. "So basically, you got scared and ran with your tail between your legs, did you?"</p><p>  "It's nothing like that, Akushitsu!" Koga shouted.</p><p>  "Some leader," Akushitsu scoffed. "You've gotten soft, Koga. What do I expect, though? After what happened with that half-demon, Inuyasha, you're practically a dog-lover. You even let your own daughter, the future leader of our clan, run around with his pup. Have you forgotten your pride as a wolf, Koga?"</p><p>  "That has nothing to do with anything!" Koga argued. "In a situation like this, I can't let my pride ruin our chances of survival! Don't you get that?! I'm doing what I have to do for the clan... even if it means I have to bow my head in front of a dog, then so be it!!"</p><p>  Akushitsu only glared at Koga, who turned to face his fellow wolf demons.</p><p>  "I know it's hard to let go of your pride," said Koga, "but when you're cold, hungry, and practically at death's door, will your pride save you then?"</p><p>  The other wolf demons all glanced at each other.</p><p>  "Right now," Koga began, "I'm doing what needs to be done. I just want my wife and my kids to grow up in a safe place and not have to worry about where they'll go to rest their heads after a long and tiring day... a place where they won't have to worry about where their next meal will come from."</p><p>  "If you're worried about that," said Akushitsu, "then why not go raid that little village where that half-breed lives? I'm sure a few humans will feed us for quite a while."</p><p>  "Yeah, that does seem easier," muttered another wolf demon.</p><p>  "Koga only started that law to get on that priestess' good graces," whispered another. "What was her name, again? Kago-something..."</p><p>  "That's not the reason why anymore!" Koga shouted.</p><p>  "Come off it!" Akushitsu barked. "I bet you that if you had a chance, you'd sink your teeth straight into some human flesh if you were desperate enough!" He grinned maliciously, a glint flashing in his eye. "After all, once a murderer, always a murderer, Koga."</p><p>  Koga growled as he glared at Akushitsu, his fangs bare as he attempted to summon the Goraishi to his hand... but then, out of nowhere, Tsukihime stepped in between her father and the instigating wolf demon.</p><p>  "You leave my Dad alone, you big ingrate!" Tsukihime shouted. "He's trying to help us all, and this is how you thank him?!"</p><p>  "Tsuki...!" Koga whispered in surprise.</p><p>  "Yeah, you're nothing but a big meanie!" Hasu shouted as she and her twin brother joined their big sister.</p><p>  "No one talks about my Dad like that!!" Hoshi barked.</p><p>  "Yeah! Koga's doing his best!" Ginta added.</p><p>  "You have no idea what he went through in the past!" Hakkaku shouted.</p><p>  "Koga's trying to provide a life for all of us!" Ayame spoke up as she stood beside her husband. "Why can't you see that?!"</p><p>  Akushitsu growled in disdain as he glared at Koga, his family, and Ginta and Hakkaku, who all glared back at him.</p><p>  "If your pride means more to you than the clan's survival," Koga began, "then maybe you should take your pride somewhere else, Akushitsu!"</p><p>  Akushitsu's eye twitched before he turned and walked away... leaving the clan behind.</p><p>  "...Anyone else wanna leave?" Koga asked, not turning around to look at them. "I wouldn't blame you if you did."</p><p>  The other wolf demons glanced at each other and murmured amongst themselves while Koga quietly stood, waiting for their answer.</p><p>  "We'll stay, Koga," spoke one of the wolf demons, causing Koga to turn to face the rest of the clan. "We see that you're trying to do what's best for us."</p><p>  "We'll follow you, anywhere," added another.</p><p>  "Us, too!" Hakkaku added. "Don't forget, we've been by your side since we were kids, Koga!"</p><p>  "We didn't leave you back then and we're not leaving now!" added Ginta.</p><p>  "Here-here!" exclaimed another one of the wolf demons before they all began to stand up and proclaim their agreement, to Koga's surprise.</p><p>  "You see that, Koga?" asked Ayame. "We're all behind you."</p><p>  "That's right, Daddy," Tsukihime agreed as she hugged her father, who smiled and hugged her tightly, along with her siblings.</p><p>  "Thank you for standing up for me," Koga whispered. "I love you kids." He then looked at Ayame, who smiled at him before she joined in the hug. "And you, Ayame."</p><p>  "Right back at you, Koga," Ayame whispered.</p><p>XXX</p><p>  "Damn that detestable Koga," cursed Akushitsu as he walked through the forest. "Who the hell does he think he is?!" He then angrily clawed at a tree. "Everyone thinks he's so great... but one of these days, he'll fall... and when he does, I'll become the leader of the clan." He then gave a dark chuckle. "He'll see... then I'll really make the wolf demon clan great again!"</p><p>  "Perhaps I can help you..."</p><p>  The wolf demon gasped as he turned around... and saw a shadowy figure, cloaked in a black hood as he held a gnarled wooden staff with a pair of snakes intertwined.</p><p>  "Who are you?" asked Akushitsu as he took a defensive stance. "Name yourself!"</p><p>  "...A friend, is all," answered the figure with a wicked smirk. "Please... call me Yami."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I have to apologize in advance for my lack of productivity. I'm currently going through the loss of my beloved dog Rocket. He was my best friend since I was 11 years old and it saddens me to know that he's gone...but he's not suffering anymore. That's all I hope for.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>